


The Stucky Essay

by bilittlebarnes



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Endgame Sucks, Justice will be served, M/M, MAKE IT CANON, Peggy didn't deserve it, Stucky is real, marvel are cowards, the stucky essay, the way they look at each other though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27610628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bilittlebarnes/pseuds/bilittlebarnes
Summary: It's about time. So. There you have it folks. I just spent a LOTTA time writing a freaking essay on my OTP which I am WAYYY too invested in. I hope you all appreciate it. Unlike some people who say ‘in this essay I will…’ I actually wrote the essay. Feel free to send to Marvel or the Russo brothers or M&M and say "This is why your story doesn't make sense”. Welcome to the cult newbies.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 23
Kudos: 20





	The Stucky Essay

**_The Stucky Essay_** : _It’s canon. Also Endgame sucks._

By @wintrswcrld © 2020.

_Disclaimer: some of these ideas are inspired by things I have seen on the internet written by others. I would love to credit therm all but sadly I cannot remember many of them. One of my main sources was @CharCubed ’s Stucky Meta Thread. And also HUGE CREDITS TO LILI FOR EDITING AND GIVING TIPS._

_PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR STEAL. Feel free to discuss but please remember to credit me._

_Be warned: I kinda go off topic in each paragraph and I get a little carried away. Be warned again: it gets a little unprofessional._

Stucky is real and no one can tell me otherwise. Sit down, because this is gonna be a rocky ride. Welcome to my TED Talk, bros. In this essay I will present the overwhelming evidence from both the MCU and touch on the original comics. I will also look into symbolism of several quotes or lines of dialogue.

In most traditional stories, the love interest motivates the character to do more. However, in Steve’s case Bucky seems to be the one to motivate him to do things in action to the war. He was, after all the one who actually persuaded Steve to become Captain America. Steve, who was prepared to walk to Austria with a prop shield on the whim that Bucky was still alive to save him. Throughout the course of the films, Bucky continues to be an Achilles heel. Steve spends his entire character arc, _three movies_ trying to save and rescue Bucky. 70 years of brainwashing couldn't erase Steve from Bucky. Steve will stop at nothing to save him. Most people would classify this as a very strong bond between two brothers or friends, but I have reason to believe it is more than that. Marvel completely ignores it.

The fact of the matter stands: If Bucky was a woman, they would definitely have been canon years ago. There would be absolutely no doubt about it. Yes, I do believe it important for media to depict loving same sex friends but the points outlined below clearly show that Bucky was purposefully portrayed as more than just a friend.

If Bucky was a woman (or Steve a woman) with no other changes to the plot (or still not strictly canon) there would be no doubt that they are in love. No one would feel the need to explain it away and say ‘stop trying to force a romance where there’s no subtext’, no one would preach that their bond is that of siblings considering the romantic tensions in both the films and the comics. Everyone would expect them to get together and it inevitably would become canon. Peggy would continue to be a motivator for female Bucky’s jealousy. They would be seen as having one of the greatest love stories in history. In the comics, Steve himself has said ‘I didn’t say I wanted a woman. You’re putting words in my mouth, Clint’. To drive the point in even more, Steve himself has said (in the comics) “If you’re looking for a straight man, try someplace else!” It is safe to say this means Steve is canon bisexual/pansexual or at least not straight.

Steve- a usually resolute and resolved character, faltered at the line ‘Bucky is alive’ when facing his future self. Future Steve didn’t mention Peggy or anyone else, but Bucky knowing he would get a reaction out of it. This is in stark contradiction to the rest of his story arc in _Endgame_ which firmly enforces that Peggy is the most important thing in Steve’s life.

It takes eleven words for Bucky to become the Winter Soldier, but only three for Steve to stop in his tracks. The affect Bucky’s name has on him has been displayed twice throughout the movies when Rumlow and both Steve himself used it to their advantages. Rumlow used it to distract Steve, as did Steve to his past self. He could have mentioned that he would be the cause of the Avengers breaking up, or that half of the universe will die. Instead Steve mentions the one thing that is a constant for him, the one who he cares for most. Steve knows that even though his past self thinks Bucky is dead, the one thing that will cause him to freeze in a situation where New York could possibly be in danger while he thinks he’s fighting Loki is to hear “Bucky is alive”.

This is supposedly the same person who started a civil war with another one of his closest friend just to keep Bucky safe. Steve would not have gone to those lengths to protect Peggy and especially not Sharon.

(Sharon. Oh God. Another character who was ruined due to some form of romance with Steve. The kiss between Steve and Sharon had no place in the movie. It did not push the plot anywhere, it was awkward and extremely forced. They had no chemistry whatsoever And if it wasn’t gross enough, now that I think about it, with the events that transpired in _Endgame_ , Steve is Sharon’s uncle seeing as he married Peggy. Funnily enough, Sharon was never really mentioned after that in relation to Steve. What was going through the writer’s heads?)

The kiss between Steve and Sharon was clearly the writers trying to enforce a metaphorical ‘no Homo’ on Bucky and Steve’s relationship, knowing their ship was gaining popularity. Contrary to the writers of the movies, the writers of the comic series _Planet Hulk_ wanted to make Stucky canon but for some unknown (but also known) reason they were not allowed. It has been confirmed by Marvel that Bucky did/does have a crush on Steve. Mark Waid said that “[Bucky has] had a crush on Steve Rogers at some point in the past.” This is just yet another strong confirmation that Bucky is in love with Steve, at least if not at this point, then some time before.

_Captain America: The First Avenger:_

As we have established, Steve fought tooth and claw just so Bucky was safe. Bucky, seeming having some sort of spider sense to know when Steve was in trouble, always fought to keep him safe and out of harm’s reach. Steve stopped at nothing to ensure that he could try get Bucky to remember him, even though Sam tried to stop him so he wouldn’t get hurt. Steve was prepared to die so he would not have to fight Bucky. He was willing to ignore 117 countries just to keep Bucky safe.

The only times when Steve has dropped the shield is for Bucky, the only reason he picked it up in the first place. Steve only began to call the future ‘home’ after he knew Bucky was alive. This is not a coincidence, and it continues to stress that Steve and Bucky are each other’s home. Becoming Captain America is a huge aspect of Steve’s life-it’s a part of him. He became Captain America to save Bucky, and stopped for him too. This demonstrates that he would do anything just to keep Bucky safe, and he hasn’t done it for anyone else. (Although, currently not 100% confirmed, many people also believe that Steve and Bucky lived together after Steve’s parents died after the flashback scene in _The Winter Soldier_ where Bucky offers Steve to live with him.)

Now I will discuss some of the actions Steve has made in reference to Bucky, and vice versa.

He has held back a _helicopter_ with his bare hands just to try and stop Bucky from leaving and keep him with him. He destroyed HYDRA, S.H.I.E.L.D and denied the governments of the world for Bucky, not to mention fought against some of his closest friends all for Bucky. If that doesn’t scream heterosexual, Best Buds™, I don’t know what does. In movies such as _Iron Man_ and _Thor_ , the respective main characters make sacrifices for their canon/straight partners (although arguably on a comparatively smaller scale); such as destroying all the Iron Man suits for Pepper and giving up the throne for Jane. And then there is Steve, who gives up his shield for Bucky. This follows the trend of the canon romances in the MCU.

Steve and Bucky are written as a romance (said by Joe Russo himself). Bucky is purposefully the ‘damsel in distress’ who needs to be saved by Steve in most of the movies. Their relationship has a lot of common tropes and romantic undertones that are in most romance movies. Bucky asked Steve to live with him, told him he didn’t have to be alone, essentially told him ‘till death do us part’. It even goes as far as Bucky being the jealous onlooker when Peggy was introduced, which I will expand on further later in my next few points.

Another interesting point: notice in the rescue scene in _CA:TFA_ , Steve cups Bucky’s cheek before quickly pulling it away? I believe this symbolic action is Steve’s way of saying “I care so much about you and I’m so glad you’re safe and this is how I’m expressing it, but oh we’re both men and this isn’t okay”. Just a note, I personally never cup my friends’ or siblings’ faces before, and I know the situation is different because Bucky is in danger, but it also implies their relationship is much closer than most people’s regular friendships. This gesture is more in the romantic category, but there are exceptions. (Watch the scene for a clearer picture)

The whole reason why _Captain America: the First Avenger_ is named so is because Steve avenged Bucky’s death. When mourning Bucky’s ‘death’, Steve rapidly went from ‘I don’t wanna kill anyone’ to ‘I’m not stopping until all of HYDRA is dead or captured’. One of the reasons he crashed the plane without trying to survive was because he thought Bucky was dead and knew (or rather thought) that they would be together in death, hence the line ‘till the end of the line’ or plainly ‘till death do us part’.

Now, let’s discuss Bucky and Steve’s actions in relation to each other.

In _CA: TFA_ Steve disappears to try enlist again when he’s on a double date with Bucky and the girls, Bucky turns around to talk to him. As soon as he realises Steve’s gone, his expression completely drops. He’s meant to be spending time with his date but the second his best friend (who is an adult) steps away from his side for one entire minute he’s panicking and fretting if Steve could be in trouble. This type of reaction clearly shows Bucky’s care for Steve.

Steve’s face and voice was enough to break over 70 years of brainwashing, which is a monumental sign that Bucky deeply cares and loves Steve. Steve also wore his (less bulletproof) old, 1940s Captain America uniform just so he could try to trigger Bucky’s memories, despite it not being protective enough. This however, had no effect on Bucky as he didn’t remember Steve as Captain America but his friend before the serum. His memories were triggered by Steve repeating ‘till the end of the line’ to him. Bucky saves Steve even though HYDRA hurt him prior after he remembered Steve. (This scene was also reminiscent of The Little Mermaid, when Ariel pulls Eric from the water after he almost drowned. It was almost exactly the same in comparison.)

Bucky did not remember Natasha while crossing paths with her again, even though he had met her more recently than Steve while with HYDRA. Not to mention, Bucky was the reason Steve picked up the shield in the first place. And as @mblursen says, ‘Captain America, S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers all only come to exist because- no matter if you read it platonically or romantically- Steve Rogers loved Bucky Barnes’. Chris Evans has said himself that Steve and Bucky’s relationship is ‘one of the more precious relationships for Steve Rogers… It’s one of the few relationships that he can identify as anything we would call home’. Steve and Bucky are each other’s home, not to mention the fact that they are canonically soulmates. Bucky holds the key out to Steve in the flashback scene, which is symbolic of being the definition of each other’s home.

During _CA: TWS,_ Bucky is trapped under a large piece of metal after battling each other on the helicarriers, Steve immediately jumps down to rescue him. Even after Bucky has put three bullets in him, and a knife in his stomach. He doesn’t see the man who injured him. He sees the one person who means the literal world to him, who he would walk through fire for. Who he’s loved and cared for ever since they were young. This shows this feeling of protectiveness and care is requited. Steve endures the pain of fighting him to rescue him because he cares so much about him that he wouldn’t be able to live after Bucky is gone again.

Another thing I want to touch on is the fact that both Steve and Bucky are represented by a star: the white Captain America star and the red HYDRA star. White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, which is what Captain America represents. Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. This embodies the Winter Soldier, while the ‘passion, desire and love’ represent Bucky as a person. These are both ‘two sides of the same coin’ or simply two different contrasting sides of one star which represents their relationship perfectly. They are soulmates, opposite in situations but united by a star.

Stars are also often regarded as protective symbols, a clean summary of their relationship. Bucky always somehow knew when Steve was in trouble, and saved him from fights or brawls and he was very. Bucky also always carries a piece of Steve with himself during the Howling Commandos era-on his left arm, there is a wing design that matches the same one on Steve’s helmet. He also coincidentally lost his left arm later on in the movie, symbolising them being torn from each other, like losing a part of themselves. Steve’s first act as Captain America was saving Bucky, while Bucky’s last act as the Winter Soldier was to save Steve.

Symbolism is heavily present in a lot of dialogue between Bucky and Steve. Starting with the most famous, ‘I’m with you till the end of the line’; a phrase that sounds very, very similar to the wedding vow ‘till death do us part’. In this quote, Bucky and Steve are exchanging vows of commitment to stay together- ‘I’m with you forever’ as lines do not end. They are also saying that no matter what happens, through good and bad, they’ll be there for each other. This again ties into _Endgame_ and the horrible writing which caused Steve to break his vow. The line didn’t end, and he voluntarily leaves Bucky.

Another two instances of symbolic dialogue suggesting that Steve and Bucky are not entirely straight: when Bucky calls Steve ‘punk’, and when Steve purposely uses the word ‘partner’ rather than a gender specific term. The word ‘punk’ used in the 1940s, is equivalent to the word ‘twink’, which is used to describe the smaller man in a gay relationship, which Bucky uses affectionately. When Steve is in the car with Peggy in _TFA_ , he mentions looking for “the right partner”. This implies that he might not necessarily just be interested in girls as he could easily have said “the right woman”.

When Steve rescues Bucky from the HYDRA facility, they are separated by a large gap, and Steve yells, “Just go! Get out out of here!” and Bucky is adamant not to leave without Steve, saying “No not without you!” in reply. Their bond is much stronger than any other. Bucky would rather die than leaving Steve alone, he wouldn’t want to keep living if Steve didn’t. Steve jumped over the chasm just so that Bucky would leave and survive, not so that he could live himself.

Later on in _CA:CW_ in the plane scene, Bucky asks “What's gonna happen to your friends?” to which Steve replies, “Whatever it is… I’ll deal with it.”Again Steve promotes that he would do anything to be with Bucky.

In the bar scene in _CA:TFA_ , Steve asks Bucky jokingly, “You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?” To which Bucky replies more seriously, “Hell, no. That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight. I’m following him.” He is the only one who truly knows who Steve is, and he will follow him until the day he dies. Bucky wants Steve, and not Captain America. He is telling Steve he will follow him anywhere and he cares for his friend, not just the symbol Steve has become.

Bucky consistently refers to Steve by his name. In Bucky’s mind, Steve isn’t the mighty Captain America but his closest friend whom he intends to spend his life with. This contrasts with the rest of the Avengers as they always call him ‘Cap’ and not as often Steve. No one in the modern world except Bucky knew Steve before the serum. He knew him at his start and loved him so he’s the only one who deserves him at his best. Although sad, Bucky only truly recognised Steve after he’s almost killed him. After he was beaten him up so badly that Steve could barely see. This is how he remembers Steve, the punk from Brooklyn who was always getting himself into fights. Ironically, while everybody remembered Captain America, the one person Steve loved most couldn’t recognise him.

[trigger warning: mention of suicide]

Sebastian Stan has said that “Steve is the reason he [Bucky] didn’t commit suicide”. This alone demonstrates Steve’s importance to Bucky. Steve who will do anything to stay with Bucky and Bucky who will endure anything to be with Steve. This is one of the reasons why Steve’s ending was toxic for all those around him, especially his friends close to him.

During _Captain America: the Winter Soldier_ , in the scene where Natasha and Steve are in a car travelling to New Jersey, Natasha asks, “Nobody special though?” Obviously referencing a romantic partner. Steve laughs and replies “Believe it or not, it's kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience”. Funnily enough, several hours later he is reunited with Bucky. The only person he’s known his whole life, who has ‘shared life experience’. This foreshadowing Bucky’s return aligns Bucky with that of a romantic partner to Steve.

While Steve, Natasha and Sam are taken hostage by HYDRA in the truck, Steve is emotionally confiding about how “Even when [he] had nothing [he] had Bucky”. Ignoring Natasha who was bleeding out. As the saying goes, ‘love is blind’ and Steve is blind when he is reminiscing about his love. Bucky was always Steve’s source of motivation-it doesn’t matter if Bucky is his partner, his friend or his antagonist. Bucky never stops being Steve’s motivation.

In _Captain America: Civil War,_ Rumlow and Steve face off and to distract him, says ‘your pal, your buddy, your Bucky” in order to bring the thing that was the biggest priority in Steve’s life and mind to bring attention to that fact. @CharCubed summarised it perfectly; “The phrasing of “your Bucky” is also very intentionally specific, and not typically the kind of phrasing used when discussing a platonic relationship. There’s a possessiveness there.” The “your” indicates that Steve and Bucky belong to each other, such as someone might say when they’re discussing a romantic relationship. @CharCubed goes on further to say, “It stands in contrast to “your pal, your buddy,” and it’s possible those were included to cushion the romanticism inherent in “your Bucky” by itself… because imagine what “your Bucky” would sound like without the first 2 adding the plausible deniability of a platonic skew?”. Even Rumlow believes Stucky is real.

In _Age of Ultron_ , after Natasha and Bruce are flirting, Steve tells Bruce not to wait too long and says “as maybe the world’s leading authority on waiting too long, don’t.” Although first your mind goes to Peggy but I believe he was referring to Bucky, whom we know he feels regret for as he feels he waited too long to properly help Bucky during _the Winter Soldier_. Steve constantly relates everything romantic back to Bucky.

Again, @CharCubed raised another excellent point: “Steve repeatedly says “He’s my friend” in reference to Bucky. The repetition gives it weight. Tony’s response is “So was I,” yet the story shows the comparison is unequal. This further implies “friend,” for Steve & Bucky, is an insufficient term.” Bucky and Steve’s relationship is not suited to the word “friend” as they are far more than that. If this is not enough to convince you, I will continue.

I will now discuss the symbolism of the two songs played in scenes with Steve and Bucky. Music is carefully chosen by the music director to relate to the characters and the mood of the scene. The songs ‘It’s Been A Long, Long Time’ (by Harry James and Kitty Kallen) and ‘There is a Tavern in the Town’ (by Rudy Vallee) both represent Steve and Bucky’s relationship perfectly.

When Steve returns to his apartment in _CA:TWS_ and Fury is shot by the Winter Soldier, the song ‘It’s Been A Long, Long Time’ plays in the background, which is a song about a person welcoming their lover home after the war. This summarises Steve and Bucky’s relationship, they haven’t seen each other since before the war ended. Bucky returns to Steve’s life, just as the song says. Bucky is clearly portrayed as Steve’s lover in the context of the song ‘It’s Been A Long, Long Time’.

The song ‘There is a Tavern in the Town’ is played in the background of the bar scene in _CA: TFA._ It subtly hints at Bucky’s love for Steve and his jealousy of Peggy. The line ‘He left me for a damsel dark, damsel dark’ (sung by men) as Peggy enters the bar, gaining everyone’s (and Steve’s) attention. The lyrics say “And there my dear love sits him down, sits him down… He left me for a damsel dark, damsel dark”. This is clearly a glimpse into Bucky’s perspective. Steve left Bucky for a “damsel dark” or Peggy. He choose her over him just like in _Endgame_. They have the same mirrored shots of Bucky looking down. During this scene (which is analysed fully by @vulcansmirk) the frames of the shots are centrally focused on Bucky and his discomfort at how Peggy is getting Steve’s full attention. If this scene was just about Steve and Peggy’s relationship, Bucky would not be the centre of the shots or have as much screen time. Normally, Bucky would be used to having Steve’s attention uninterrupted but since the serum things changed for the both of them. He is clearly depicted to be jealous of Peggy and it was clearly intended because he was so present in the scene.

To confirm that this is not just a jealously between close friends, the line “But you’re keeping the outfit, right?” is extremely flirtatious and suggestive. Bucky is basically saying he likes Steve in tight clothes. The interaction between them in that part of the scene implies there is more to their friendship than meets the eye.

Another instance of Bucky being jealous of Peggy is when Steve returns after rescuing the 107th and Peggy starts flirting with him. As Steve turns around to see Bucky, he greets him with a happy face but as soon as he looks away, he looks completely broken and sad. This might have been a coincidence, however, coupled with the previous instances of Bucky being shown as jealous, it can be used as evidence.

Now I will look over various things that don’t necessarily fit properly into specific categories.

The first is Steve and Bucky during the Wakanda era. It has been confirmed by Marvel that Steve and Bucky were FaceTime buddies when Steve couldn’t visit Bucky (which he did regularly). Sebastian Stan also said that their reunion hug would have taken at least 20 minutes. Something else to do with Wakanda is the fact that as soon as Bucky heard Steve was coming, he immediately tidied himself up. This is mostly just another fact that I like because this is beginning to dissolve into informal ranting.

According to psychology, babies begin to recognise themselves in a mirror and learn to talk at the same time. In comparison to the Winter Soldier, he either speaks or does not speak in any language other than his native tongue (English). Then Steve calls him by his real name and Bucky responds in English, his native language and this sets off his recognition of his life. Whenever he continues to speak throughout the movie, he speaks in English which he grew up talking to Steve. This means his identity is very strongly tied and connected to Steve.

Steve and Bucky both lived in one of the major gay underground cities. Bucky also said that Steve was great and the girls were just stupid not to recognise that during the pre-serum days.

If Marvel romanticised Peggy having a picture of Steve on her desk when she was married, then Bucky having a picture of Steve in his diary must be equal to that (or even more so).

During Wanda’s mind manipulation when Peggy appeared, it was originally supposed to be Bucky who was in Steve’s vision. As Peggy is romantically involved with Steve in this scene, I can only imagine what it implies with the fact that it was meant to be Bucky replacing her.

Every character unites with lost ones _:_ Peter Parker and Tony Stark, and Rocket and the Guardians, all except Bucky, who was deserted by Steve. Rotem Rusak says, “Not even a thousand years of torture or Steve’s love of his new family prevented that in the other _Captain America_ movies. And yet here, the full circle of Steve seeing Bucky vanish into dust never comes. They don’t find each other, they don’t look for each other, they don’t speak to each other. The movie tells us that narratively Doctor Strange and Tony have more of a relationship than Bucky and Steve.”

Another interesting parallel is the person who Bucky is named after: James Buchanan, a former American president. This may be a coincidence, but there is nothing particularly special about James Buchanan aside from the fact that he was gay. This may be a coincidence, but I do not believe so as it is confirmed that Bucky has a crush on Steve.

Canonically, the only thing that could really hurt Steve the most is Bucky being tortured in front of him while Steve is not able to do anything. This is represented in the MCU where Bucky dying was one of the worst things Steve ever went through. Steve only began to call the modern world ‘home’ after he found out Bucky was alive. This is not a coincidence, and it continues to stress that Steve and Bucky are each other’s home.

During _Civil War_ when Steve visited Bucky’s apartment and the police arrived, they were shot at. Steve and Bucky immediately pulled each other closer. Both their immediate instincts were to save each other. In fact, Zemo studied the Avengers for over a year and came to the conclusion that putting Bucky in danger will mean that Steve will practically go crazy and go to any length to save him. Both of them are extremely protective of each other. They were more worried about

each other than themselves, and this is one of just many of the more reasons why they’re in love.

Another point is the fact that throughout _Civil War_ , at no point did Tony look scared of Steve or worried that he wouldn’t make it out of the fight… until the moment Tony blew off Bucky’s metal arm. Steve went crazy, full rage and fury on Tony and only then did he look truly terrified. This was his dark side that he had been talking about in Age of Ultron. Steve’s dark side is his unwavering devotion to protect Bucky Barnes, as @sebuckstianstan said.

In _Captain America: White_ , the beginning note references (by Markus and McFeely) that Red Skull is aware and uses to his advantage the bond between Steve and Bucky. “The Captain has a… soft spot for you”, holding Bucky prisoner using him as bait for Steve. This could be implying that they are so close that Steve would stop at nothing to save him. This is yet another instance of Steve being fiercely protective of Bucky.

I am now going to look over the introduction in _Captain America: White_ by Markus and McFeely. To start, this is what the paragraph I am talking about looks like:

"Of course, this is still a rollicking adventure tale, and no adventure is complete without a love story. And, yes, these books have one-the longest, most tortured one in Marvel history, in fact. We're talking about Steve and Bucky, without smirking or innuendo or raised eyebrows. Platonic though the relationship may be, from the meet cute to the tragic separation, their bond has all the elements of a classic romance. These two men love each other-as any pair of friends who faced exclusion, combat, inhumanity, and death would. Their bond stretches across half the twentieth century. The loss of it gnaws at Steve throughout modern day, and it slices his heart in half when the Winter Soldier rears his tormented, homicidal head. Just as Jeph and Tim's earlier Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue, and Hulk: Gray all dealt with the major love interests in the heroes' lives, so too does Captain America: White. Steve and Bucky are each other's soulmate, if you will, because no one on Earth understands what either of them has been through as well as the other does. These books deal deftly with the strengths and weaknesses that relationship engenders. As the Red Skull himself says to Bucky, "The Captain has a... 'soft spot' for you. A spot I intend to put a bullet into this very evening." Soldiers fight for their country. They fight for themselves. They fight for each other. And sometimes they die for these things, too. The ones who don't carry the memory of the ones who did for the rest of their days. Steve Rogers is no different."

To be honest, I truly do not have much to say. Just enjoy this paragraph. I could not possibly make this up. But the fact that this was written by Markus and McFeely themselves… And then they have the audacity to completely ignore it when writing _Endgame_.

Now, let’s talk about the mess that was _Endgame_ and what it means for Steve and Bucky’s relationship:

I don’t think it’s a bold accusation to say Steve’s character in _Endgame_ was not written well. He lost his will to fight. He was nothing like himself, and while he spent three movies fighting to find, protect and save Bucky, he threw all of that away to go back to a woman he kissed once and didn’t know for that long. He left his mission for the last three movies, his best friend, _canon soulmate_ that he said he was with ‘till the end of the line’. Whilst also abandoning all the rest of the Avengers in a time that was one of the most difficult times in their lives (loosing Tony and Natasha).

(On a different tangent: Personally, I think that when Steve left Bucky for Peggy in _Endgame_ , it reduced her character down to a love interest which she does not deserve. Which is a bold move considering in her own TV series, Peggy openly preached that she didn’t need a man to be a person. _Endgame_ completely erases her entire character arc and her family that she built with Daniel Sousa in the years after Steve’s ‘death’. This is completely unfair to both characters, hence my dislike for the ending of the movie. Peggy Carter was especially misused and therefore _Endgame_ can go to hell where it belongs.)

Realistically, Peggy moved on from Steve, as in _Agent Carter_ , she poured his blood into the ocean and said goodbye, got married to Daniel Sousa and had children. She built her own life. The Peggy we know would have been exceptionally disappointed in Steve for not moving on, and would have made him go back Bucky who doesn’t have the things she has.

In the plane in _Civil War_ , Bucky says to Steve, “I don’t know if I’m worth all this” and Steve reminds him that he is and that he would do it all over again. Then in _Endgame_ , he realises he wasn’t worth all it as Steve merrily travels back to the past to live with Peggy. As others have written, there is such a deep love and intimacy between Steve and Bucky. Many fans would rather Steve die than accept his ending. Marvel did not end Steve’s story as they should of; it was selfish and incredibly out of character.

In _Infinity War_ , the lights in the scene where Steve and Bucky reunited are warm, representing their happiness to be together. However, in _Endgame_ , the lights are cool as Steve leaves Bucky. If the Russos say they [Steve and Bucky] ‘had internal happiness’, this isn’t accurate. Properly written Bucky would be devastated to see Steve abandon him when he needed him most. As Rotem Rusak said, “[Steve] doesn’t seem to understand that he’s dooming his best friend to what his own worst nightmare was, being alone in the present without anyone who could understand what that is like.” Steve should be especially empathetic to this situation as he knows the struggles of waking in a new era without your loved ones. Rusak goes on to say “This desire to have shared experience is one of the main reasons Steve is so desperate to get Bucky back in his movies, and all at once, he can’t remember that at all. As others have written, there is such a deep intimacy between Steve and Bucky, such a powerful love and an intensity of loss, that if they are together, they must express it, and that expression is taboo. For the fans to like it, is taboo. And the only way to deal with it is to separate them.” Steve is leaving Bucky alone, after HYDRA, and he doesn’t act like he cares the entire time.

In Steve’s therapy group in _Endgame_ , he mentions Peggy, who didn’t even die during the Snap, which is ironic due to the fact that the reason he is there is because he is talking to a bunch of people who lost loved ones because of the Snap. Yet there he is, talking about a woman he kissed once, and who died 9 years ago with nothing to do with the snap. Bucky was one of the most important people to him and yet he doesn’t mention him once. _Civil War_ demonstrated that he chooses Bucky over everyone else. Yet, in _Endgame,_ he barely even mourns him. Rusak states that Steve has lost Bucky before, “Time and time, movie after movie, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes battle fiercely for each other, defend each other, protect each other, and always, always, lose each other, and yet it is Peggy that Steve mentions in his therapy group as the loss that haunts him.” Steve has never before referred to Peggy as the love of his life, yet he does this when talking to his therapy group. Rusak provides another example of this happening when Steve is fighting Thanos for the first time in the movie when Steve looks at Peggy’s picture in the compass, “… before telling Nat that “if this doesn’t work, [he] doesn’t know what [he’ll] do.” But if it does work, it’s Bucky he’ll be getting back. Peggy has nothing to do with this narrative moment…” Steve complete lost sight of his entire character arc. He should have gotten over Peggy when he knew she was happy and safe. Steve’s entire character has revolved around Bucky and now it’s suddenly revealed that all of the last movies were irrelevant.

Later at the closure of _Endgame_ , Steve claims Peggy as nothing more than a ‘trophy wife’. Steve acts like Peggy is a prize to be claimed. The compass, in fact, functions as a substitute for a relationship that was never developed. Their romance was never developed properly. They were never shown falling in love; the only thing that could pass as 'love' was the extremely expository dialogue. Steve became obsessed with her image in a compass even after she died and pursued her niece as a substitute. He used time travel for the wrong purposes to stalk Peggy, and just simply placed himself in her life when he knew she'd be 'available'. The slideshow 'The Ethical Abomination That is Steve Rogers' Ending' summarises it perfectly: 'Did Peggy know the life he was depriving her of? How could she, let alone make an educated choice? She was as silent and compliant as a sexy lamp. Steve becomes a bully; he bullies himself into her life because he feels entitled to it, and in doing so, transforms into what he'd spent his entire life fighting.' He literally spent more time with the photo of the compass rather than Peggy herself. He never showed off for her either, which is what some people confuse, because he was doing what was right. 'Narratively, he does not come "full circle"; instead, all the progress and growth he experienced after living most of his adult lif **e** in the present is ignored or regressed. In the Hero’s Journey, that moment comes when the hero returns to his place of origin and realizes how much he’s changed and that he can never truly go back. This could have been given to Steve in a moment of closure and moving forward, but instead he is returned to square one. In a true Campbellian Arc, Steve would have progressed to the role of ‘teacher’ to help others (ie: all the newly revived people who have to adapt to time passing without them - something Steve knows intimately). Instead he becomes a deserter who abandons a newly recovering world and his returned friends without even saying goodbye. (He wasn’t just moving across country; he displaced himself in time for 80 years, apart from them.)'

Peggy enjoyed her life, and she told Steve that she only regretted that he didn't live his. This doesn't mean that she regretted not marrying him. 'This is a stunning argument considering that in _The Winter Soldier_ , Peggy explicitly tells Steve that she loved her life, and that her **only** regret was that he hadn’t yet had a chance to live his own. Steve saw the photos of her children, heard her speak about her husband (a soldier STEVE RESCUED with the 107th) in a Smithsonian exhibit video, and had **no** other reason to believe that she wasn’t fully satisfied with her life and accomplishments. The poignancy in this reunion scene not only rests on the fact that they were only ever destined to be “two ships passing in the night”, but that she had now evolved from “love interest” role to “wise mentor”. Is there any logical reason why they couldn’t have shared their first (and last) dance in this scene? Or is the idea only appealing when Peggy is young?... No one said that he couldn't have had one dance for closure and returned to the present, happy that she'd have a wonderfully fulfilling life without him (that might have actually been bittersweet and profound; and it would’ve been indicative of respect... instead of obsession.)' A missed date isn't an engagement that both of them have to fulfil. The author continues on to say, 'Ah yes, that horrible exposition in a horrible scene. Even _if_ she was the love of his life, as far as he was aware, HE WASN'T THE LOVE OF HERS, yet he still made the unilateral, god-like decision that he was the better choice. (And he did it after her death so she couldn’t argue otherwise.) It’s truly incredible that Steve advises a grieving husband to "move on" (hilariously hypocritical considering his ending), and compares a woman who lived a long, full life without him to the incomprehensible grief this man was experiencing re: his spouse. The full quote is “I’d _just met_ the love of my life before going into the ice”... he’d “just met” her, huh? JUST MET. It’s astonishing how this film acknowledges they barely knew each other and just expects us to accept this ending as if it was earned.'

'Another example of a badly shoe-horned detail intended to support an out-of-character ending. She should have had photos of her children on that desk, the photos from her hospital room that Steve not only saw but also commented on. (These photos were conveniently omitted so that Steve’s choice wouldn’t appear blatantly monstrous.) If all that it takes to prove "love" is a single photo, Bucky had one of Steve pasted into his notebook... This entire “romance” is predicated on a photo in a compass and a photo on a desk; a perfect metaphor for how superficial and 2-dimensional its development is. I can’t get over how Steve made his choice after her death - when she was no longer capable of given consent - and instead used a photo on a desk as permission.' Steve was happy in the future after he made friends, especially after he got Bucky back. He got over Peggy and she lived her own life and she was happy. Steve would not have been comfortable living a life where he wouldn't be doing anything to help anybody, especially when Bucky is being tortured at the same time. He wouldn't have stopped fighting. 'In the comic run _Man Out of Time_ , Steve is sent back to the past and realizes that it was deeply bigoted; for this reason, he chooses the future instead. This was an INTEGRAL moment to his character and reinforces the fact that he awoke in a future more aligned with his sense of justice and equality. Never in any prior Marvel property has Steve ever gone back to the past and stayed there. _Endgame_ completely undermines his intrinsic nature and puts him out to pasture in Pleasantville for the sake of prioritizing the Traditional Heterosexual Family Unit (a "reward" given to multiple heroes, including Tony, Clint, and Scott).' They also expand on the morality of Steve's choice: ' _Endgame_ ITSELF states that Steve’s choice is wrong. Aside from the fact that he did it in secrecy, Thor has the chance to save his beloved mother, but realizes it would be immoral and selfish. For some reason these rules either don't apply to Steve, or he somehow "earned" the right to act like a villain (there’s no evidence he spent those five years doing anything particularly heroic; leaving was no more than a cowardly escape). There is no moral lesson in Steve's ending outside of extreme self-interest to the point of harming others (no one is arguing that Steve isn't allowed to focus on himself a little, but there's a healthy way for him to do that, ie: retiring or figuring out a fulfilling work/life balance with his newly revived friends in the future). The MCU’s Protagonist Centered Morality expects us to ignore this... Why did Steve go back to her when she was in her 20s instead of closer to his own age (39)? Is it because he'd be interrupting her and her husband? What a coward. Because she was in her physical "prime"? What a pig. He had the catalogue of her life open to him and knew exactly what moment to insert himself. The Smithsonian video informed him she was married by the early 50s. What a chilling abuse of power.' 

The author had another great idea; instead of sending him to the past, they could have made him skinny again. This would have been a great message to say that not every hero is physically strong: 'Why not de-serum him instead? At least in that scenario he learns a valuable lesson about where his worth really lies: in his huge heart and not just his fists. (Oh look, an actual hero's journey with a moral lesson!) Skinny Steve is inexorably tied with our culture's limited concept of masculinity/equating small size with “weakness” and this would have been a perfect way to subvert that!' They continue to say, 'Steve was created by two Jewish men prior to America joining WWII. The character’s purpose was to fight fascism and injustice: by having Steve CHOOSE to go back to a more bigoted era and wrap himself in his inherent privilege, Marvel has completely undermined everything he stands for, and politically neutralised him. They took a character unafraid to speak truth to power and turned him into Ward Cleaver (what's the best way to eliminate someone who's a threat to the status quo? Get them to settle down, shut up, and conform: a white picket fence defeated Steve Rogers more effectively than any bullet). This is an unsettling choice, especially considering the current state of our geopolitics and the rise of white nationalism. Steve Rogers is now nothing more than a self-insert for entitled men with fantasies of an idealized past. He has been regressed to mirror their mediocrity.'

He swoops in after being ‘dead’ and she doesn’t end up being able to complete her life as she did in _Agent Carter_. _Endgame_ did not only ruin Steve’s character but also Peggy. “And in ten seconds, _Endgame_ relegates her to ‘Steve’s wife,’ showing her as an object of his affections, merely there to fulfil some strange, domestic fantasy which neither one of them has ever expressed an interest in living out. Peggy has no lines in _Endgame_ , she is there to be peered at and held by Steve. She is not a real character. She has not even had any meaningful character evolution with Steve.” Steve erased her family and the life she built for herself. Steve would have never chose a bigoted past over the present where his home is, he would never leave his family or the world where Tony and Natasha gave their lives. He would never have done that to Peggy and her family. The Russos also stated that Steve has come to terms with missing out life with Peggy and doesn’t want the same thing to happen with Bucky so he will fight to do anything so that doesn’t happen. He has accepted his loss with Peggy and gotten over her and moved on, which doesn’t fit with his character when he goes back to live with her in _Endgame_ even when she had a family. Peggy’s children were not his because of a time loop and because it doesn’t fit with the MCU’s time rules. If Steve told Peggy everything, she realistically wouldn’t have let him stay. They most likely would have danced before she sent him back to the present. 

Although the comics and movies are entirely different stories, they still share the same (or at least similar) characters. Steve’s character in _Captain America: Man Out Of Time #3_ explicitly expresses that he would rather risk everything to go back in time, save Bucky and live as hobos for the rest of their lives rather than live a regular life without Bucky in the present. The Russos also stated that Steve has come to terms with missing out life with Peggy and doesn’t want the same thing to happen with Bucky so he will fight to do anything so that doesn’t happen. He has accepted his loss with Peggy and gotten over her and moved on.

I wish they could have gotten the ending they deserved in _Endgame_. I did not expect them to kiss and live happily ever after, but I certainly did not expect Steve’s character to be butchered and go back in time to live with Peggy. Their relationship was ignored by Marvel, most likely because they are both male. All in all, I believe that _Endgame_ destroyed both Steve and Peggy, and neither of them should have had that ending. In a world of aliens, gods and superheroes, Steve having a boyfriend is the most the unlikely option to Marvel. To finish on a high note, _Civil War_ ended with Steve and Bucky running away to a secret kingdom. The trilogy started and ended with them together. At least the trilogy ended nicely while Endgame couldn’t. 

In conclusion, all the elements of Steve and Bucky’s relationship I have analysed strongly suggest that Stucky is in fact real. Despite Marvel’s unwillingness to portray LGBTQ+ characters and theirto ignore of their characters, Steve and Bucky’s relationship is one of the most developed relationships in the entire MCU and it was completely thrown away in _Endgame._

**Bonus:** Why I like Steve and Natasha. I think Steve and Natasha’s friendship is one of the best Marvel has given us, because it shows that a girl and boy don’t have to be in a relationship and they can just be friends. Some people think they are in love, but Marvel would have every chance to make them canon and we know they have no problem showing straight couples regardless of chemistry (cough-Sharon-cough). I just wish people would let a girl and boy be friends. I personally think that it makes sense that he would be in love with Bucky as they are both from the same time and have ‘shared life experience’ as Steve himself has said. He continues to decline Natasha’s attempts at setting him up, and if she really wanted, she could have asked him out herself.

I’d like to see a heterosexual explanation for this please.

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to some of the people who inspired me: @CharCubed, @vulcansmirk, @mblursen and @sebuckstianstan. I'd also like to thank the author of 'The Ethical Abomination That is Steve Rogers' Ending', whom I quoted a lot in the last paragraphs. The BIGGEST thank you to Lili, my friend, who edited this and made it amazing!!! Please share this everyone. It took a lot of thinking, so I would feel happy if you did :)  
> So, that’s not bad. Show your friends to convince them why Stucky is real. You know what, feel free to the Russo brothers or Marvel if you have the guts. ‘This is why your story doesn’t make sense!’ And… I guess that’s it. Follow me @wintrswcrld on IG for more… stuff. I lowkey feel stupid now. Credit to the most amazing and coolest person in the world Lili who sat through and edited 9 pages of rambling. (That was written by Lili, I was going to say that anyway)


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